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Dog tests positive for cocaine
Howard, WI (US)Incident Date: Thursday, May 24, 2012
County: Brown
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Name Undisclosed
A 57-year-old Howard man may be charged with intentionally giving cocaine to a dog, a misdemeanor, after a veterinarian recently detected cocaine in a miniature pinscher.
Officers responded about 8:25 a.m. May 24 to an intoxicated man acting unruly at Animal Hospital of Howard, 635 Cardinal Lane, according to a Brown County Sheriff's report.
The man was there to get treatment for his sick dog and was arrested on suspicion of traffic violations, including having open intoxicants in his vehicle. The man later was released into the care of his daughter.
During the investigation, Dr. Danny Thornborrow of the Animal Hospital told officers that the man's dog showed signs of being under the influence of a stimulant. The female dog had a rapid heart beat, slight fever, was extremely hyper, and continued to pant and run back and forth, he said.
An officer asked Thornborrow if he could run a drug test and the doctor called officers about 2:28 p.m. to confirm the dog, which weighed about 15 pounds, had tested positive for cocaine.
"I wasn't surprised," Thornborrow later said, adding the dog could have suffered a seizure. "The owner was intoxicated when he came in and he looked like he could have had a problem with drug abuse, so that sort of raised a flag."
Thornborrow, who has treated animals for more than 30 years, said it was the first time he has seen a dog with cocaine in its system. The dog's condition improved within two hours after he treated the pooch with sedatives and flushed out her system with fluids, he said.
Officers went to the owner's Howard home after his daughter told them the man's cocaine abuse had recently worsened due to the death of his wife, according to the report. Once officers arrived at the home, the man admitted to using cocaine the previous day but said he did not give it to his dog, the report said.
Officers searched the home and found a plastic container with 0.07 grams of cocaine, a razor blade, a clear square piece of glass and a white tube commonly used to snort cocaine.
Officers also found seven small sandwich bags with a powder-type dusting, a small sandwich bag containing 0.8 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Animal control workers seized two other dogs at the home.
The man was booked into the Brown County Jail on suspicion of possessing cocaine and drug paraphernalia, as well as intentionally giving cocaine to his dog, a misdemeanor.
He was released less than three hours later after posting a $600 cash bond. References |
